08 Circuits — Flapless and Go-Arounds
CASA Recreational Pilot License (Aeroplane) — CASA Sample Syllabus Lesson 8.
This lesson consolidates the circuit, approach and landing from lessons 6 and 7, then adds three closely-related skills that all rest on one idea: a landing is a decision, not an inevitability. The student learns the flapless approach and landing (a flatter, faster approach flown with power), the go-around before touchdown, and recovery from a baulked landing during or after a poor touchdown. The unifying theme is judgement — recognising early when not to land, and acting on it without hesitation.
Theory Brief
Section titled “Theory Brief”Why and when a flapless approach is used and how its flatter profile differs from a normal approach; the go-around decision and the stable-approach gates; the go-around actions in order; and recovery from a baulked landing close to the ground. View the slides on this page below or open the slides directly.
Pre-flight briefing notes
Section titled “Pre-flight briefing notes”The pre-flight brief (~15 min, immediately before the flight) works best as an interactive whiteboard session, not slides — stepping through today’s circuits, the flapless approach profile, the go-around, and the threats together with the student. These printable notes give you the briefing components (aim, flight walk-through, threats, and the go-around decision and lookout) with prompts and fill-in blanks, plus a front page to sketch your own whiteboard plan and running order. Although it will be helpful to plan and step through it yourself before the lesson, remember: modelling the process of the pre-flight brief is more important than presenting a polished pre-flight brief. This is why we do it interactively rather than a presentation. Download the PDF of the briefing notes to print or use offline.
In-flight notes
Section titled “In-flight notes”Instructor kneeboard reference for the airborne sequence — the consolidation circuit, the flapless approach and landing, the in-air go-around, and the baulked-landing recovery, with the common faults to watch for. These use a portrait layout for easier use on a kneeboard or device. View the slides on this page on the right or open the slides directly, or download the PDF of the in-flight notes to print or use on your device offline.
Post-flight debrief
Section titled “Post-flight debrief”I plan to add post-flight debriefs once I have more experience conducting them, but I’m assuming it’ll be more of a personal preference with assessment outcomes than a set of slides.
Useful resources for students
Section titled “Useful resources for students”- The NZ Civil Aviation Authority has a flapless landings whiteboard that summarises the flatter, powered approach profile — suitable for the student to download for themselves.
- The NZ CAA also has a glide approach whiteboard — a useful companion for understanding how approach profiles change with configuration and power.
- The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook, chapter 9 (Approaches and Landings), covers normal and flapless approaches, the go-around, and rejected landings with clear diagrams (public domain).
- Instructors may also consult the CASA Flight Instructor Manual — Aeroplane, chapter 12 (Approach and landing), for the Australian-syllabus air-exercise breakdown of flapless, glide and go-around technique.
Example email to students before the lesson
Section titled “Example email to students before the lesson”If you are an instructor, feel free to modify this for your own use. Sending an email a few days before a lesson is a great way to engage people in the learning before they even arrive (if they have time and capacity).
Subject: Lesson 8 — Circuits: flapless and going around
Hi [name],
Now that you’re flying the circuit, this lesson adds an important idea: a landing is a decision, and going around — choosing not to land — is a normal, well-flown outcome rather than a failure. We’ll make it routine so it never catches you out.
Before our flight we’ll do a short theory session (~0.5 hr) and a pre-flight whiteboard brief. In the air (~1 hour) we’ll first fly a couple of normal circuits to warm up, then practise a flapless approach and landing (a flatter, faster approach flown with a bit of power, which floats and uses more runway), a go-around from the approach before touchdown, and recovering by going around from a poor or bounced landing.
If you’d like to prepare, the NZ CAA’s one-page Flapless landings whiteboard [1] is a clean visual reference, and you’re welcome to work through the published briefings on this site beforehand [2].
When: [day]
See you then!